The present invention relates to an apparatus for electronically outputting a voice, and in particular, audio compilation within a voice output apparatus adapted to audibly output numbers.
Electronic audio output devices are known in the art as exemplified by Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-4239 which discloses a system for Japanese audio time notification for an electronic clock. In this system each output is divided into word blocks such as, hours and minutes. Voice data is stored in a dedicated voice data memory provided for each unit block. Data is then output for each distinct block. In the Japanese language, the system has two "ju" (ten) word sounds for outputting numbers containing a tens digit, using the appropriate "ju" word sound depending on the placement of the tens digit. For the numbers 20 through 50, the same "ju" word sound is commonly used within the hour and minute blocks. However separate dedicated memories are provided for the word sounds of both the hour values and the minutes values which are to be audibly output.
The prior art electronic voice output device has been satisfactory. However, providing voice data for the different voice sounds for the hours and minutes numbers requires a considerable memory capacity resulting in large chip size leading to a more expensive integrated circuit design. Additionally, voice data must be extremely concise before it can be stored in a memory having limited capacity. Because voice data and tone quality are closely related, the need for conciseness leads to deterioration in tone quality or so severely limits the amount of voice data which may be used that the device becomes impracticable. This becomes even more true in the case of German and Spanish language outputs. Because of the linguistic nature, these languages require an enormous amount of data before they can be used as a medium for electronic audio notification. Accordingly, the prior art system, which only provides for placing data which is directed to the same digit in a single common place, cannot be adapted to a small sized application such as a wrist watch.
For example, if audio time notification is done in the German language, having editing libraries separately provided for the hour numbers and the minute numbers, the amount of data required will then be approximately forty eight words even if word components such as "zig" and "zehn" are stored in a common source such as the use of the "ju" in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-4239. If this data is prepared at a bit rate of 6Kbit/sec, the memory capacity required may be as large of 300Kbit. However, it is only practicable to utilize a device having a 170Kbit memory capacity to provide a system useable in small sized applications.
Accordingly it is desired to provide an electronic audio device which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art described above by placing the majority of the voice data in a communal data base for several blocks.